Various types of sheet material, such as paper, typically are provided in the form of rolls of sheet material. Such a roll of sheet material typically incorporates a hollow core about which the sheet material is tightly wound. At times, such a roll of sheet material can be over six feet in length, over several feet in diameter and over several thousand pounds in weight.
Rolls of sheet material typically are transported from a production facility, where the rolls are produced, to a manufacturing facility, where the rolls are loaded onto manufacturing equipment for manufacturing end products. Given that the rolls are cumbersome, some rolls tend to become damaged prior to use. Unfortunately, damaged rolls may cause problems. For example, if the sheet material is damaged, use of such a roll may result in lower quality end products. Therefore, it has become commonplace to trim damaged rolls so that the remaining undamaged portions of the rolls can be used.
Damaged rolls are trimmed in a variety of manners. For example, one manner is to ship the damaged rolls off-site to a location where the rolls are trimmed. Clearly, this manner involves the time and expense associated with transporting the rolls from and then back to the manufacturing facility. Thus, on-site trimming may be preferred.
One manner that accommodates on-site trimming involves positioning a roll of sheet material in a horizontal orientation. The roll is maintained in this orientation while a saw is moved around the perimeter of the stationary roll in order to remove the damaged portion of the roll. For instance, a system for trimming a roll of sheet material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,719.